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I'm surprised they see spending less on advertising as part of their EV strategy. Copying Tesla in that regard might not work out the way they want it to. IMO N

I'm surprised they see spending less on advertising as part of their EV strategy. Copying Tesla in that regard might not work out the way they want it to. IMO Non-Tesla EVs are already facing an uphill awareness battle.

slt2021 4y ago
Ford is already ahead of Tesla in EV Trucks
- smegger001 4y ago
  Well tesla has seemed to trying shooting themselves in the foot with their truck rollout. Naming it "cyber truck" then making it look like a bad hot wheels, giving it a small bed with angled sided making it badly shaped for carrying many loads (like a pickups bed is meant for), using new manufacturing technique for its body which results in problems that slow production, bragging about it being indestructible then breaking it window trying to demonstrate how indestructible it is.
  - seattle_spring 4y ago
    > giving it a small bed with angled sided making it badly shaped for carrying many loads I genuinely doubt the average Cybertruck customer is planning on using for hauling anything more than kids and groceries.
    - smegger001 4y ago
      then why not get another form factor better suited to hauling kids and groceries.
      - redox99 4y ago
        Because people buy based on what they like and enjoy, not what's optimal.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
leereeves 4y ago
There was an article here on HN about the Ford Lightning a few days ago, and now this one. I think their free marketing strategy must be working if it's even reaching the HN crowd, which is not really a traditional market for Ford pickups.
- fnordpiglet 4y ago
  - Rapzid 4y ago
    Fuck yeah!
- fartcannon 4y ago
  Astroturfing is an incredibly common advertising strategy these days. They're targeting silicon valley and the silicon valley wannabes. HN in a nutshell.
xen2xen1 4y ago
From what I've seen of the coverage, that doesn't quite seem true for the F150. It has decades of name recognition built up and lots of buzz going on for it already. The F150 may be the first real ICE>EV mega crossover thst happens.
- throwaway0a5e 4y ago
  The first electric fullsize pickup to market is going to be a f-ing goldmine. There are a lot of people who commute in a sedan and have a Tacoma or Odyssey that gets driven when needed and would replace both with a fullsize crew cab truck if it weren't for a little voice in the back of their head telling them that such a vehicle does not project an image that is appropriate for the kind of person who lives in a million dollar home with solar on the roof in a neighborhood dotted with black lives matter signs. An EV variant drops that stigma and will attract a bunch moneyed buyers who previously would never have considered a fullsize truck. That's huge.
- 0des 4y ago
  I believe the Mustang is going all EV soon too, right? yep: https://carbuzz.com/news/ford-mustang-will-go-all-electric-in-2028 https://carbuzz.com/news/ford-mustang-will-go-all-electric-i...
  - happyopossum 4y ago
    No, not even close.
datalopers 4y ago
I think you’re drastically underestimating how immensely popular the Ford F-150 is. Every single person who wants a truck knows about the F-150 and I’d wager the vast majority who may purchase an EV know about the F-150 Lightning or will find out as they start hitting the streets and they see them in parking lots and at stoplights.
- phinnaeus 4y ago
  But what percentage of those F-150 owners know there is an EV version? Or put another way, how many of them can you convert to an EV version with effective advertising?
  - eatonphil 4y ago
    At some point the f150 may be only electric? So maybe advertising isn't so important if people just want the model regardless of the engine.
    - phinnaeus 4y ago
      That's a great point, but I haven't heard when that is going to happen. Until then, IMHO ads shouldn't be discounted by Ford (this of course assumes that Ford actually wants to convert people from ICE to EV).
      - leereeves 4y ago
        The Lightning seems to be designed to convert F-150 buyers. It looks just like a regular F-150 and comes with features rural customers would love, like powering your house during blackouts and your tools away from an outlet.
        throwaway0a5e 4y ago
        It's not designed to convert existing F150 buyers. It's designed to get the guy who has a Tesla and a Tacoma in his driveway and who sees fullsize domestic trucks as a penis extension for backwards hicks to trade both those in. This isn't about converting existing owners. It's about growing the potential market.
lvl102 4y ago
F-150 is the second best selling vehicle in the WORLD. Not just the US. Think about that for a moment. Even if Ford simply replaces 1/2 of them with EV, that’s more than 15x what Tesla delivered in 2021.
colinmhayes 4y ago
They can't build their EVs fast enough. The dealerships are marking them up 20k. Why continue advertising when it will bring them $0 more revenue?

slt2021 4y ago

Ford is already ahead of Tesla in EV Trucks

smegger001 4y ago
Well tesla has seemed to trying shooting themselves in the foot with their truck rollout. Naming it "cyber truck" then making it look like a bad hot wheels, giving it a small bed with angled sided making it badly shaped for carrying many loads (like a pickups bed is meant for), using new manufacturing technique for its body which results in problems that slow production, bragging about it being indestructible then breaking it window trying to demonstrate how indestructible it is.
- seattle_spring 4y ago
  > giving it a small bed with angled sided making it badly shaped for carrying many loads I genuinely doubt the average Cybertruck customer is planning on using for hauling anything more than kids and groceries.
  - smegger001 4y ago
    then why not get another form factor better suited to hauling kids and groceries.
    - redox99 4y ago
      Because people buy based on what they like and enjoy, not what's optimal.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

leereeves 4y ago

There was an article here on HN about the Ford Lightning a few days ago, and now this one. I think their free marketing strategy must be working if it's even reaching the HN crowd, which is not really a traditional market for Ford pickups.

fnordpiglet 4y ago
- Rapzid 4y ago
  Fuck yeah!
fartcannon 4y ago
Astroturfing is an incredibly common advertising strategy these days. They're targeting silicon valley and the silicon valley wannabes. HN in a nutshell.

xen2xen1 4y ago

From what I've seen of the coverage, that doesn't quite seem true for the F150. It has decades of name recognition built up and lots of buzz going on for it already. The F150 may be the first real ICE>EV mega crossover thst happens.

throwaway0a5e 4y ago
The first electric fullsize pickup to market is going to be a f-ing goldmine. There are a lot of people who commute in a sedan and have a Tacoma or Odyssey that gets driven when needed and would replace both with a fullsize crew cab truck if it weren't for a little voice in the back of their head telling them that such a vehicle does not project an image that is appropriate for the kind of person who lives in a million dollar home with solar on the roof in a neighborhood dotted with black lives matter signs. An EV variant drops that stigma and will attract a bunch moneyed buyers who previously would never have considered a fullsize truck. That's huge.
0des 4y ago
I believe the Mustang is going all EV soon too, right? yep: https://carbuzz.com/news/ford-mustang-will-go-all-electric-in-2028 https://carbuzz.com/news/ford-mustang-will-go-all-electric-i...
- happyopossum 4y ago
  No, not even close.

datalopers 4y ago

I think you’re drastically underestimating how immensely popular the Ford F-150 is. Every single person who wants a truck knows about the F-150 and I’d wager the vast majority who may purchase an EV know about the F-150 Lightning or will find out as they start hitting the streets and they see them in parking lots and at stoplights.

phinnaeus 4y ago
But what percentage of those F-150 owners know there is an EV version? Or put another way, how many of them can you convert to an EV version with effective advertising?
- eatonphil 4y ago
  At some point the f150 may be only electric? So maybe advertising isn't so important if people just want the model regardless of the engine.
  - phinnaeus 4y ago
    That's a great point, but I haven't heard when that is going to happen. Until then, IMHO ads shouldn't be discounted by Ford (this of course assumes that Ford actually wants to convert people from ICE to EV).
    - leereeves 4y ago
      The Lightning seems to be designed to convert F-150 buyers. It looks just like a regular F-150 and comes with features rural customers would love, like powering your house during blackouts and your tools away from an outlet.
      - throwaway0a5e 4y ago
        It's not designed to convert existing F150 buyers. It's designed to get the guy who has a Tesla and a Tacoma in his driveway and who sees fullsize domestic trucks as a penis extension for backwards hicks to trade both those in. This isn't about converting existing owners. It's about growing the potential market.

lvl102 4y ago

F-150 is the second best selling vehicle in the WORLD. Not just the US. Think about that for a moment. Even if Ford simply replaces 1/2 of them with EV, that’s more than 15x what Tesla delivered in 2021.

colinmhayes 4y ago

They can't build their EVs fast enough. The dealerships are marking them up 20k. Why continue advertising when it will bring them $0 more revenue?